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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24529588">The 5 Times Patton Tripped And The 1 Time Patton Fell (In Love)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAbi/pseuds/NekoAbi'>NekoAbi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Just fluffy good boys, M/M, There is a lot of falling, mention of injury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:35:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24529588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAbi/pseuds/NekoAbi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Patton falls over a lot; always has, always will. But while he was used to it, that didn’t mean his new roommate and friend would immediately be okay with it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The 5 Times Patton Tripped And The 1 Time Patton Fell (In Love)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Patton had always been clumsy. Ever since he was young, he’d been covered in so many little scrapes and bruises that his mother fondly nicknamed him ‘Dalmatian’. It continued well into his adult life and was just his normal; not once did he step out of his home without a plaster covering some sort of scratch. However, just because <em>he</em> was used to tripping so often, didn’t mean that everyone was used to seeing him falling to the ground.</p>
<p>It always happened in an instant. One second, he was upright and just fine. The next, his face was planted on the ground and something was stinging. Patton would simply laugh it off, pick himself up and continue on with his day. However, when he fell in front of his new roommate, Patton didn’t know that he wasn’t going to let it go so easily.</p>
<p>“Patton, oh my god. Are you okay? Are you hurt? That looked like it hurt a lot. Do you need help? What happened, oh god.” Virgil rambled in a single breath, falling to the ground beside his new friend.</p>
<p>Patton pushed himself up onto his knees, brushing the dirt off his hands. “I’m fine, I promise. Just a little fall, nothing big. I’m used to it.” He reassured him, though did wince slightly as the grazed skin moved in his attempt to stand. Patton went to brush the dirt from his leg, but Virgil’s hand gripped his wrist tightly before he could even get close.</p>
<p>“Don’t! You’ll get more dirt in it! There’s a bench a little down the street. Come sit. I’ll clean it. I have water in my backpack and some wipes, probably some tissues too.” The emo dragged Patton towards the bench as he continued to rattle off words. Patton didn’t have it in him to turn his friend down, so he simply did as he was told.</p>
<p>As Virgil was swinging his backpack over to unzip it, Patton glanced back to where he had pretty much made out with the pavement. He found that it was pretty flat, none of the stone were too out of place and made an obvious Patton-Hazard. Nothing around the area was showing as something that would be at fault either.</p>
<p>“Ow!” Patton yelped, flinching away from the damp tissue Virgil held.</p>
<p>“Sorry, but we need to get the dirt out…”</p>
<p>“Oh no, it’s okay! I didn’t mean to do that! I just wasn’t expecting it.” Patton reassured, relaxing more and giving Virgil his full attention. He still cringed when the damp tissue pressed against the graze, but Patton did his best not to worry his roommate even more.</p>
<p>Eventually, Virgil crumpled the tissue up in his fist and dropped the bottle back into his backpack, “It’s the best I can do for now. We should probably get back and put something over it though. Just to be safe. I’m gonna go put this in the bin over there, back in a sec.”</p>
<p>Patton nodded and went to stand back up, but something moving out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Patton looked down at his feet, blinked for a moment and then sighed, “I swear my shoelaces were tied before… that was probably it.” He reached down to tie them again, but a sudden incredulous voice had him looking up.</p>
<p>“Are you serious? You think you tripped on your shoelaces?” Virgil asked, his eyes wide.</p>
<p>Patton shrugged, “I mean, yeah. I’ve done it loads of times. They just never wanna stay tied.” He pointed at the laces of his shoes and wagged his finger at them, as though he were a father scolding his child.</p>
<p>“Oh my god…” Virgil dropped to sit next to Patton on the bench, “Are you for real?”</p>
<p>The pastel-coloured man sat back up, finally having his laces sorted. He tilted his head in confusion, patting his body down, “Um, well… I think so?”</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Virgil learnt quickly that Patton had a very special relationship with gravity. It seemed like it wanted nothing more than to have Patton be as horizontal as possible. He’d learnt that Patton had issues with walking on uneven surfaces, even surfaces… just generally walking anywhere. Patton’s biggest enemy, though, was stairs.</p>
<p>So, when they went to see a movie with some friends and they had to climb the steps to get to their seats, Virgil was already counting down the seconds until disaster.</p>
<p>Their two friends went first, making it up to the seats with absolutely no issues, as most normal people did. Virgil gestured for Patton to go up before him, just so he could see if and when his roommate was going to fall down. He counted each step.</p>
<p>One. Two.</p>
<p>It was going fine. He was halfway there. Maybe today was a good day and the universe would leave Patton alone.</p>
<p>Six. Seven. Ei-</p>
<p>Never mind.</p>
<p>The fall was spectacular. Since Patton was holding a full bucket of popcorn and his natural reaction was to throw his arms out to cushion the blow, the sound and sight of the snack falling all around him really made it look more dramatic than it was.</p>
<p>Virgil quickly hopped up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He crouched by Patton, offering a hand to help him to his feet. Patton got back up and looked down at the popcorn all around them, a slight wobble to his lower lip as the guilt punctured his heart.</p>
<p>Patton turned to his roommate, “I’m so sorry, Virgil.” He whispered, clearly trying not to let tears roll down his cheeks, “I shouldn’t have held that. I knew I was gonna fall. I just wasted it all.” He suddenly gasped and tried to push past to make his way back down the floor, but Virgil stopped him and steered the man into his seat. “Virge! Let me go! I need to go tell someone!”</p>
<p>“No.” Virgil responded firmly, pushing his own popcorn bucket into Patton’s grip, “That’s why I got two. And I’ll go find someone. You stay here. Logan, make sure he stays.” When their friend nodded, Virgil turned on his heel and sped back down the stairs. He quickly located the nearest usher, let them know what happened and made his way back to his screen. The lights had dimmed, and the adverts had started to play, so Virgil creeped back up the stairs and slipped into his seat beside Patton. Before he’d even had the chance to relax, a pair of hands gripped his hoodie sleeve.</p>
<p>Patton looked to be right on the edge of crying when Virgil turned to look at him. “Virgil, did you find someone? Is everything okay?” He whined pathetically, sniffling like a hurt child.</p>
<p>“Yes, I did. They said they clean it once the movie’s over. No one was mad.” Virgil whispered back, awkwardly patting Patton’s hands to try and be reassuring. After Patton smiled softly and turned back to looking at the screen, Virgil let out a silent breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>“Virgil! Virgil! Come out here! Look, look!”</p>
<p>Virgil groaned and forced himself to sit up in bed. He checked the time on his phone, only to find it was around 8am, far too early for Virgil to be awake. But, the constant happy squealing noises from outside his room forced his hand and he slid out from under the covers, exiting his room in a sleepy haze, “What?” He grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly.</p>
<p>“PUPPY!” Patton held the dog up to Virgil’s face, causing the emo to yell suddenly in surprise and take a step back. “Sorry, I got really excited.” Patton had a light blush to his cheeks, but his grin still remained as large as ever as he petted the small animal.</p>
<p>“Right… um, so… why is there a dog here? You didn’t, like, get one without telling me, right?” Virgil tentatively asked, trying his best to hurt his incredibly sweet and cute roommate’s.</p>
<p>“Well…” Patton swayed back and forth, trying to pick his words carefully, “My mum’s friend is out of town for a bit and she needed someone to look after her dog. She asked my mum, but my mum is really busy and already has two dogs that she can just about look after and they don’t really like other dogs. And, well, long story short, I kinda said I could look after the dog for a while… and now she’s… here?” Patton offered with a sheepish grin.</p>
<p>Virgil looked between Patton and the dog for a moment, his sleep-addled brain trying to come up with something to say that wasn’t embarrassing. He eventually just shrugged and turned back to go into his room, “Whatever, just make sure it doesn’t destroy anything. I’m going back to bed.”</p>
<p>Patton let out a high-pitched squeal of happiness, “You’re the best, Virgil! I’ll make sure that she’s good!” He called out as the door shut behind his roommate, not allowing him to see the light blush the compliment put upon the emo’s cheeks.</p>
<p>A few uneventful days passed by with Patton fussing over the dog every second of every hour while Virgil awkwardly listened from either in his room or from the couch. It seemed like everything was going just perfectly. But then…</p>
<p>A loud squeal and yelp sounded, with several more noises that struck fear into the emo following shortly after. Virgil jumped to his feet, wrenched open the door and practically threw himself out into the living room. “PATTON?! Are you alright?!” His gaze trained downwards to the man sat on the ground before him, with the dog cautiously approaching him again.</p>
<p>Patton rubbed his butt while he smiled sheepishly, “I didn’t see her down there. I just fell back after I felt her on my foot. I’m okay!” As he started to collect up his belongings that had fallen from his grip, the dog had seemingly deemed Patton safe and started to jump up to lick his face again. It distracted him enough to drop his things back to the floor and just be reduced to pure giggles.</p>
<p>Virgil let out a sigh of relief and moved across the room to pick up Patton’s stuff, “Next time, just don’t carry so much crap with you. I don’t need another heart attack like that, okay?”</p>
<p>Patton nodded, holding the dog in his arms with a wide grin and shining eyes, as though he had the best life he could possibly ask for and hadn’t just fallen on his ass a few minutes ago. The sight had Virgil’s world stopping dead for a moment. Just enough for him to commit it to memory.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>“And you tell me that my room is a mess…” Virgil quipped as he opened the door to his roommate’s bedroom.</p>
<p>“It’s not <em>that</em> bad!” Patton protested with a huff. He’d taken a few steps in and turned to stare at Virgil with a pout. It was hard enough to see where his feet were as there was a pile of clothes just in front of him, as well as other piles of random objects around the rest of the floor space. It had clearly been like this for a long time, as there seemed to be something akin to pathways running between the mess – going from the bed to the desk to the door to the window.</p>
<p>“Uh huh… sure.” Virgil carefully took his first steps into Patton’s room. “So, what was it you needed help with?” He asked, peering at all the pictures that littered the shelves closest to the door.</p>
<p>“Oh right!” Patton spun on his toes and wandered over to the tallest bookshelf, “Can you help me reach up there?” He pointed to the very top, “Something accidentally got up there and I can’t quite reach by myself…”</p>
<p>“I mean, I can try.” Virgil cautiously stepped around the rest of the mess and joined Patton just in front of the bookshelf. “How do you wanna do this? I’m not exactly that much taller than you. I could… maybe… try and lift you up to reach it, or something…”</p>
<p>Patton gasped, his eyes lighting up, “That’s perfect!” He grabbed Virgil’s arms and tugged him closer, “I didn’t even think of that!”</p>
<p>Virgil opened his mouth to ask how else he was supposed to help but thought better of it. He crouched down a little and wrapped his arms tightly around Patton’s legs, “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”</p>
<p>“Yup! I’m ready!” Both Patton’s hands were ready on Virgil’s shoulders, in case he needed to steady himself.</p>
<p>Carefully and slowly, Virgil stood, lifting his roommate up in the air. Patton’s grip on his shoulders was tight, but not entirely uncomfortable. It was a bit of a shock that Patton was as light as he was, and that Virgil was as strong as he was. Neither expected this to go so well. Patton, with a moment of hesitation, managed to reach up on top of the bookshelf and feel around for the missing object. The moment his hand came in contact with it, he gasped, “I got it!” He grabbed a hold of it tightly and pulled it close to his chest. At the same pace, Virgil dropped him back to the ground and let him go.</p>
<p>It was only once they’d fully parted that Virgil got a chance to see what it was.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid to ask why that stuffed cat was on top of the bookshelf, but I’m apparently too stupid to keep my mouth shut.” Virgil cocked his head, raising a questioning eyebrow.</p>
<p>Patton blushed and clutched the plush toy tighter, “It was an accident… We were dancing and just, all of a sudden, he went flying…”</p>
<p>“Dancing?”</p>
<p>“Yeah! Like this!”</p>
<p>Patton started to slow dance, holding the cat’s paw in his hand as though it was his dance partner. He twirled around the room, humming to himself. It was a little silly, but ultimately endearing. At least, it was for a while.</p>
<p>Somehow, a rogue bottle rolled into the space Patton was dancing in and got under his feet. In the moments he was going down, Patton’s eyes widened in fear and he reached out for the closest thing to try and keep himself upright. Unfortunately, the object he grabbed a hold of was not steady enough and both of them fell to the ground. Patton let out a pained squeak and shut his eyes tight as his head hit the floor, the blow only somewhat cushioned by the mess beneath it.</p>
<p>“Owww…” he whined, going to reach up to rub his head. It was stopped by something sorta squishy yet still firm. Patton’s brow furrowed as his hand grasped a hold of whatever it was that was in his way and his eyes opened, only to be met with a familiar pair of eyes underlined with dark eyeshadow. “Virgil…?”</p>
<p>The emo’s face was a deep red as his blush spread across his face. He opened and closed his mouth several times, his eyes darting between Patton’s face and the hand that was curled around his forearm. Eventually, Virgil managed to croak out a few words, though they were no louder than a whisper, “You… you okay?”</p>
<p>Patton muttered a gentle “yeah”, as he seemed to almost forget where he was, staring up into Virgil’s eyes. They seemed to be getting closer, but Patton couldn’t say if he was seeing things or not. They’d eventually get off the floor and have a long chat, but for now, this was fine. The pain was gone too.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Over time, Virgil had done everything he could to make sure anything that was a trip hazard was either removed or given more height. It did mean that the rug they had was now pretty much glued to the floor at the edges and the coffee table was like a mini dining table, but less injuries were far more beneficial.</p>
<p>Virgil was relaxing on the couch, watching some show for the umpteenth time while scrolling through his phone absent-mindedly. In the kitchen, he could hear the sound of the oven and dishwasher – both of which Virgil had been <strike>supervising</strike> helping with since Patton almost toppled over or walked into them whilst loading them up. Thankfully, they happened on separate occasions, but it was enough to have Virgil’s anxiety going crazy if Patton was alone in the kitchen too long. His roommate was currently in his room, on the phone with his family. It was a calm afternoon, something Virgil needed.</p>
<p>After a while, Patton’s phone call ended and he practically skipped out into the living area, ready to greet his roommate. He’d only gotten so far as to open his mouth, when his foot caught on his other and he went plummeting to the ground.</p>
<p>Thankfully, he’d been close to the couch when his feet got all tangled together.</p>
<p>Patton’s landing was cushioned by Virgil’s hands and his face pretty much ended up directly in the emo’s lap. His cheeks flushed a soft pink as he raised his head to smile up at the man on the couch, “Whoops, sorry about that…” However, Patton didn’t move from the position – other than tucking his legs under himself so he was more comfortable. His head rested back down onto Virgil’s lap and Patton relaxed, one of the hands that had caught him now gently running through his hair.</p>
<p>Virgil let out a playful sigh, “What are we gonna do with you?”</p>
<p>“Hmm, I dunno. Sure you’ll figure it out though.” Patton reached up and interlocked his fingers with Virgil’s free hand, pulling it close enough that he could place a soft kiss upon the metal band.</p>
<p>“You might be a lost cause, but we’ve got plenty of time to find that out…” Virgil’s voice was low as he looked down at the man resting in his lap, a gentle smile tugging at his lips.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Patton was positively giddy with excitement. He’d not been able to stop smiling since the moment he woke up. His day had been absolutely magical, something he’d treasure for years to come. He felt stunning in his gorgeous, tailor-made white dress with flowing long sleeves and soft makeup, all complimented wonderfully by his partner’s darker tastes as they stood side-by-side.</p>
<p>Finally, he was in his partner’s arms, slowly swaying to the music. Nothing over-the-top, no spinning or twirling, no choreography – much to their friends’ dismay and frustration - just a sweet moment for a sweet couple. At least, that was what Patton thought was going to happen.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, his hand was grasped tightly, and three words were whispered into his ear.</p>
<p>“Hold on tight.”</p>
<p>Patton had no time to even ask what that meant before he heard the song change and he was spun out and back in. He could only laugh in surprise, when he caught the playful glint in Virgil’s eyes and they both started to dance with more purpose. It was still far from choreographed, but it didn’t matter to them.</p>
<p>Patton’s smile had widened into a grin as he continued to laugh. Once more, as the end of the song approached, he was spun out and back, but this time he felt his weight tipping backwards. He squealed in shock, reaching up for Virgil with his free hand and grabbing a hold of his shoulder. Patton didn’t even reach the floor, however. Instead, he felt his weight being supported by Virgil’s arm beneath him.</p>
<p>“Gotcha.” Virgil said quietly with a grin. His partner burst into giggles and Virgil returned him upright, wrapping him in a loose hug.</p>
<p>“That wasn’t fair, Virge!” Patton jokingly chastised his new husband as they took their seats at the head table with the rest of their wedding party.</p>
<p>Virgil simply shrugged, “You’d fall at some point today anyway. Why not get a head start?”</p>
<p>“Virgil!” Patton whispers, lightly tapping against his arm with the back of his hand causing them both to smile at each other.</p>
<p>Later, once the speeches had concluded and food had been served, Virgil was looking over to his now-husband. He’d been under strict instruction from Patton’s mother to keep as close to Patton as he could for the duration of the wedding and reception, in order to save him if he tripped over. Not only to avoid him any embarrassment, but also save the pristine white dress from any dirt so the pictures would look good. But, it was bound to happen at some point during the reception. Patton was going to find some way to end up falling over and he would probably scuff the dress up a little bit. Patton would immediately feel so awful about ruining it, even if it could just be dry-cleaned later. So, Virgil had concocted a plan.</p>
<p>He purposefully grabbed his drink with more force than necessary, causing a few drops to spill over the edge and at least one tiny splotch to appear on Patton’s dress. Virgil gasped exaggeratedly in order to grab Patton’s attention, “Oh my god. I’m so sorry, Patton. I spilt my drink on your dress…”</p>
<p>Patton looked down and noticed the little mark, “You didn’t. It’s just a tiny little mark, it’ll be fine!” He cheerily reassured his partner, who shook his head.</p>
<p>“No, no… <em>I</em> really did ruin it. It’s no longer… perfect. <em>I’m</em> so sorry.” Virgil emphasised that it was his fault.</p>
<p>The cogs clicked in place and Patton’s expression slowly turned to one of understanding, “Ohhh…” he breathed out as his smile returned, “Well, it’s still okay. No harm done to either of us, right?” Patton winked unsubtly.</p>
<p>“Yeah, no harm at all.” Virgil pressed a kiss to Patton’s cheek before returning to his food.</p>
<p>Patton couldn’t help but stare at his husband for a moment. This man had gone from fretting and worrying about Patton’s little falls and trips to making sure that Patton wouldn’t be upset with the consequences of a little stumble on their wedding day. It was enough to make him fall all over again, and this fall wasn’t one he’d ever want to pick himself up from.</p>
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